Sermons

St. John Chrysostompreached this Christmas sermonin 386.It was preached at Antioch in Asia Minor–during the first year of his public ministry.Later, he became Bishop of Constantinople.It was his skillful preachingthat earned him the nickname “Chrysostom,”which means “Golden-Mouthed.” Behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song,piping no soft melody,but chanting full

In the name of the Father,and of the Son,and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.Merry Christmas!What a year we’ve had:the pandemic phase of COVID is official over,but COVID itself isn’t.The war in Ukraine continuesas elections throughout the worldhave yielded interesting results.There’s unrest in the Democratic Republic of the Congoand there was an attempted coup in Sierra

“Let it be with me according to your word.”“Let it be with me according to your word.”Our passages todayserve as nice bridgebetween the early advent readingsabout the end of the worldand what we’ll hear tonight and tomorrowabout Jesus’ birth.David wants to build God a house,so that God’s presencehas somewhere nice and permanent to stay.God has

In her excellent sermon last week,Valerie said,“some Christians throughout the ageshave tried to skip to the end….They want to skip the wait,and in doing so,skip engaging with the world’s suffering.If we KNOW the world is ending so quickly,we don’t need to fight against thingsthat impact future generations,like climate change or systemic racism.After all, the thinking

Happy Advent! I have a confession – even with how kitschy they’ve become, I love advent calendars. You can find them filled with traditional chocolate, of course, but nowadays you can also find advent calendars with cheese, ramen noodles, dog toys, or the other day I even saw one filled with paraphernalia from the 90’s

Over the last six to nine monthsI’ve come across some criticisms,some desire to throw outthe Creeds.To be fair,this has been long-simmering!It’s part of the reformation:there are confessional churcheswhose repository of beliefsis in various statements –confessions –their early adherents adopted.There are traditions,both conservative and liberal by today’s standards,whose forebears saw the Creedsas additions to the gospelor

FaithI want to write about Faith,About the way the moon risesOver cold snow, night after night.Faithful even as it fades from fulnessSlowly becoming that last curving and impossibleSliver of light Before the final darkness. But I have not faith myselfI refuse it the smallest entry.Let this then, my small poem,Like a new moonSlender and barely

“Listen, Listen, Love, Love”

In her primer on feminist theologycalled “Esther, Ruth, and Rahab” –which is explicit,so be warned if you look it up –Christian drag queen Flamy Grantsings in the refrain“Castaways who outlasted and outplayedAn immigrant ancestor to the incarnate divineEveryone has a star that lights their wayWe see our paths by someone else’s shineEsther, Ruth, and Rahab,